Art Lovers discussion

This idea came to me as I posted the poll and it seems a lot of people liked it.

So here it has its own folder!
Feel free to introduce a book you've read, would like to read, you've heard about and want input from others, whatever.

You can include your own review and thoughts, whether you enjoyed it or otherwise.

I look forward to learning of new books out there and expanding my 'to-read' list and have them become my 'read' list!

Go for it!

The Painter of Modern Life
"Poet, aesthete and hedonist, Baudelaire was also one of the most groundbreaking art critics of his time. Here he explores beauty, fashion, dandyism, the purpose of art and the role of the artist, and describes the painter who, for him, expresses most fully the drama of modern life."

Thank you, Luis, for bringing this book to my attention. I haven't heard of it before and it looks really interesting. If anyone else has any input or comments regarding Baudelaire or this book specifically, I would be very interested! I added it to my to-read list.

Thank you, Luis! I haven't read your review yet but thanks for posting it here!

Proust Was a Neuroscientist

"In this technology-driven age, it’s tempting to believe that science can solve every mystery. After all, science has cured countless diseases and even sent humans into space. But as Jonah Lehrer argues in this sparkling debut, science is not the only path to knowledge. In fact, when it comes to understanding the brain, art got there first.
Taking a group of artists — a painter, a poet, a chef, a composer, and a handful of novelists — Lehrer shows how each one discovered an essential truth about the mind that science is only now rediscovering. We learn, for example, how Proust first revealed the fallibility of memory; how George Eliot discovered the brain’s malleability; how the French chef Escoffier discovered umami (the fifth taste); how Cézanne worked out the subtleties of vision; and how Gertrude Stein exposed the deep structure of language — a full half-century before the work of Noam Chomsky and other linguists. It’s the ultimate tale of art trumping science.
More broadly, Lehrer shows that there is a cost to reducing everything to atoms and acronyms and genes. Measurement is not the same as understanding, and art knows this better than science does. An ingenious blend of biography, criticism, and first-rate science writing, Proust Was a Neuroscientist urges science and art to listen more closely to each other, for willing minds can combine the best of both, to brilliant effect.

I've listened to this 7 CD set twice but in fact, I enjoy highlighting and writing in the margins of my books so in order to remember better, I purchased a paperback copy. I will 'read' it for the third time because it encapsulates my two passions of art and neuroscience within one work. I loved it the first two times and I am enjoying reading it again.

I just finished an interesting book : by Christina Baker Kline

Now while I know of Andrew Wyeth I didn't know that much or much at all about the painting of the iconic Christina's World so this book quite fascinated me. It also went into a lot of detail of early-mid American history that was quite interesting. It certainly has inspired me to read more about Wyeth.

Also, I reviewed it https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I don't know if this was listed. A friend gave me "The Life and Art of Albrecht Dürer. Quite a dense book. The author, art historian Erwin Panofsky, wrote a terrific selection of books on the arts.

Deborah wrote: "I just finished an interesting book : by Christina Baker Kline

Now while I know of Andrew Wyeth I didn't know that much or much at all abo..."

I really enjoyed your review, Deborah! Thank you for sharing. Maybe I'm dense, I do, of course, know who Wyeth is and especially of the painting you described. But where exactly is the house located?
I really like your choice of reading material. Your reviews and comments fascinate me and make me want to branch out of my normal choice of subject matter. Thank you again!

Aloha wrote: "I don't know if this was listed. A friend gave me "The Life and Art of Albrecht Dürer. Quite a dense book. The author, art historian Erwin Panofsky, wrote a terrific selection of books on the arts."

So did you start or have you already read the book? It could be interesting, I don't know much about his life. I do have a book with many of his paintings accompanied by comments. It is more a large coffee table book so I haven't read it cover to cover. I'd love to read your review if you have one...

BTW it's nice to hear from you Aloha! It's been a little while! Welcome back!

Hi Heather! I flipped through the book and saw that it's comprehensive. I enjoy symbolism in art and literature. From what I read, he was a leading academician in art iconography. Glad to be making time for GR and chatting with some of my GR friends.

I purchased his book on gothic architecture and perspective. I became interested in gothic churches after reading Proust.

Heather wrote: "Deborah wrote: "I just finished an interesting book : by Christina Baker Kline

Now while I know of Andrew Wyeth I didn't know that much or..."

Not Dense at all Heather! I certainly have to look it up 'on the coast of Maine' is the closest I can give you. Never having been to America I don't really know it's geography that well, but I believe it is now a museum and that anyone interested in Andrew Wyeth should be able to google for it. :)

I am currently reading by Deborah Moggach

It is a fictionised story of Seventeenth century Amsterdam where Jan Van Loos (who was not an actual painter, though he may be loosely based on Jacob Van Loos) is doing a portrait of a successful merchant and his much younger, second wife. The artist and the wife fall in love...


The author does well at bringing the era to life, (including the obsession with tulips and the fortunes associated with them) and using art descriptively. The nice plate reproductions of golden age Dutch masters to illustrate the lifestyle is also good, though I am mystified as to why there is not a single Van Loos among them.

Despite all the good things going for it I am so far a bit ambivalent about the book. The short chapters (Seriously? Two pages is NOT a chapter) and shifting points of view jar on me Also it is a bit too heavy on the romance for my taste.

Thank you for that honest review of the book you are reading, Deborah. Honestly, a book with your description of the disappointments wouldn't be one that I would actually finish reading. But thank you for introducing that to the group!

Heather wrote: "Thank you for that honest review of the book you are reading, Deborah. Honestly, a book with your description of the disappointments wouldn't be one that I would actually finish reading. But thank ..."

Well, I can't honestly see myself recommending it to people, but no one I knew had reviewed it when I bought it so this review might save someone $2 one day. Or possibly the things I don't like may interest someone else.

In any case my goal for the year was to read more about art and it is serving that purpose because I know far more about the Van Loos artist line than I did a couple of weeks ago. Normally I read pretty fast and it is quicker to finish a average book than stew over not finishing it at all.

Thank you Deborah for introducing the book! Your description, even with its various warnings, sounds quite appealing to me. It has both art and romance, after all :D

Ying Ying wrote: "Thank you Deborah for introducing the book! Your description, even with its various warnings, sounds quite appealing to me. It has both art and romance, after all :D"

Yes, even a review that is not wholly positive can give another reader the sense that it is something they will enjoy. The art references in it are quite extensive and quite well done as is the setting of Seventeenth century Amsterdam. Really, it is mainly too heavy on the unlikely romance that got me.

I will have a free copy going soon btw ;)

by Barbra Leslie

This was an amazing five star book for me. The author is an Australian woman and artist, I doubt anyone here would have heard of her, I had not. She studied art and teaching in Adelaide, South Australia in the 50's - 60's and this book describes her struggle to keep painting through an abusive marriage, two bush fires and numerous other life events that might defeat the less committed artist.

I found it very inspirational and the plates of drawings and paintings throughout the book a perfect illustration of Barbara's life.

review; https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Thank you Deborah! You know, i really like how you have opened up this thread with your comments and reviews. It seems that you read a wide variety of books, also.

Thank's Heather, I am a pretty omnivorous reader, and I like reviewing it helps consolidate my thoughts on the book itself.

Big Bucks: The Explosion of the Art Market in the 21st Century is a highly readable field guide to the jungles of the contemporary art market. It's also in many ways an exercise in money porn, and a profile of the top 0.1% doing what they do best. You may grow queasy reading about people who could end world hunger with their pocket change if they bought a couple fewer Murakami anime takeoffs, or you may find it aspirational. In any event, you'll learn a lot about how the top end of the art market works today and how it got this way, and maybe add a couple entries onto your bucket list. Your choice of four stars or four VIP passes to Art Basel.

Read the full review here.

I just finished a rather formidable book The Feud That Sparked the Renaissance: How Brunelleschi and Ghiberti Changed the Art World by Paul Robert Walker

It is about two artists in Florence who could well be credited as the start of the Renaissance. The historic detail is exquisite and the information in it is fascinating.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

he cover is pretty good too an image of the bronze doors that were the center of the first possible start of the alleged 'feud'.

Deborah wrote: "I just finished a rather formidable book The Feud That Sparked the Renaissance: How Brunelleschi and Ghiberti Changed the Art World by Paul Robert Walker

It is about ..."

Thank you yet again, Deborah! That book looks fascinating! You have a great selection of books that you have read and are reading. You introduce so many books that I want to add to my to-read shelf!

You seem to be reading quite a bit and showing much accomplishment in actually completing a book! I envy people such as yourself!

I'm sorry my post is a couple of days late, I just now found it your comment. If you noticed, I did rearrange the folders so this topic will be found closer to the top of the group. Hopefully that will make it easier for us to find new posts!

Thank you again!

Sarah Thornton's Seven Days in the Art World is a surprisingly engaging account of how the frothiest end of the contemporary art market works (or doesn't), written in a way that a non-insider can understand. Its you-are-there approach is both vivid and clear, and it's chockablock with odd characters. However, it's all about the top 1% of the market, leaving out the parts you're likely to ever see yourself. Four stars.

Read the full review here.

The $12 Million Stuffed Shark: The Curious Economics of Contemporary Art is an accessible, readable explanation of how the stratospheric end of the art market works. It's a better entry point than Georgina Adam's Big Bucks; you'll get more ground-level details along with the lurid bits, at the cost of looking at the world as it was a few years ago.

Don't understand contemporary art? You'll learn why it's not necessary to understand or even like it to play in this league. You'll also learn that "more money than sense" isn't just a cliché. 4.49 stars, which unfortunately doesn't round up to five.

Read the full review here.

Lance wrote: "The $12 Million Stuffed Shark: The Curious Economics of Contemporary Art is an accessible, readable explanation of how the stratospheric end of the art market works. It's a better en..."

I don't know if that would interest me or not, but I like the aspect that you mentioned that one doesn't necessarily have to like or understand contemporary art. I would be interested to know how to look at it more objectively without my 'opinion' of whether I like it or not. Thank you for introducing this Lance.

by Francine Prose

This was a fascinating look at nine different women who associated, had artistic effect and association with artists of different persuasions. It examines the who notion of what being a 'muse' is and looks at women who were consumed by it, others who went on to become artists themselves and several really unusual relationships.

I was especially fascinated by the sections on artists, of course. Gala and Dali are a very well written about couple, but this was a bit different as Gala was the prime focus and instead of concentrating on the outre behaviour it looked at the affect she had on Dali's art.

Rossetti and his muse Elizabeth Siddal were if not new to me, then at least I had not known much about them. While Lee Miller (Man Ray) and Charis Weston (Edward Weston) were all completly new.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

These books are all on the group bookshelf now.

If you like your murder mysteries genteel, spiced with exotic locales and fine art, and led by a personable young lady who knows her slice of the world and doesn't take "no" for a answer, give A Head in Cambodia: A Jenna Murphy Mystery a try. You'll learn a little, see some sights, and have a good time without the hangovers or jet lag Our Heroine suffers on our behalf. Four dancing Shivas.

Read the full review here.

Lance wrote: "If you like your murder mysteries genteel, spiced with exotic locales and fine art, and led by a personable young lady who knows her slice of the world and doesn't take "no" for a answer, give [boo..."

Thank you, Lance!

Dark Side of the Boom: The Excesses Of The Art Market In The 21st Century builds on the finance porn of Big Bucks to show what happens in a lightly regulated market awash with hot money and enormous egos. It's an effective if skin-deep survey of what goes on behind those spectacular headlines about multi-zillion-dollar art auctions. Expect to feel aggrieved about the misapplication of resources and talent these stories describe; perhaps you'll need to sharpen your pitchfork and stock up on torches. By the end, though, you'll at least know what your brokerage fees are buying. Four shell companies.

Read the entire review here.

The Supermodel and the Brillo Box: Back Stories and Peculiar Economics from the World of Contemporary Art is a continuation of the outsider analysis started in The $12 Million Stuffed Shark: The Curious Economics of Contemporary Art , updating it by a few years and bringing us up on new wrinkles in the ever-metastisizing business of selling art. If you read Shark, some amount of this book is review and you may get only three stars' worth of value out of it. If you're new to the series, you'll be coming to this material fresh, and it should be a four-star experience for you. In either case, you'll be either appalled by or envious of the hijinks chronicled within.

Read the entire review here.

Lance wrote: "The Supermodel and the Brillo Box: Back Stories and Peculiar Economics from the World of Contemporary Art is a continuation of the outsider analysis started in [book:The $12 Million..."

I shouldn't "judge a book by its cover" but I would think I would be appalled at this one. But I could be wrong, it might be interesting, in an appalling sort of way...
Thank you for your review, Lance.

Looking over the books I've read in the past year (and I always have at least one on art underway), I think one of the most important books for me was Amy Sillman's Faux Pax. It´s a collection of little essays, many of which have appeared elsewhere - but all showing a keen, quirky insight into a keen quirky artist.

'From Bauhaus To Our House' by T. Wolfe is a really interesting overview of the consequences of decontextualizing ideology and the impact it had on american architecture.

Hi Ric! I don’t think we’ve heard from you yet, if you’re new, Welcome! I’m glad you’re here whether you’re new or not!

And thank you for your comment! That book sounds fun and fascinating! So, I’m curious…what kind of ‘quirky’ artist do they mention? What essays have you read for example. Anyone famous that I would know? (Because I’m not as well versed in art as some other).

And Ogi! Another new name! Are you new? Or just now commenting on what seems like a fascinating book!

Welcome to you, also! And thank you for introducing a book to us! It sounds rather deep, I don’t know if I could handle that. How many pages is it? It sounds huge!
Thank you for explaining it, too. If you end up writing a review, I’d love to read it! Let me know 🙂

Utahraptors: Book 1: Outclaws

It is my novella!

Utahraptors: Book 1: Outclaws

This is an interesting look at the Contemporary Art world culture. An honest, humorous, and not always flattering view by a reporter who wanted to understand the “Eye”. My review and a few quotes from the book—

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

“I wanted to … see if I could feel fireworks when I looked at art—instead of, as was often my experience, the urge to holler at the artist to just tell us what you mean. … I stalked artists on Instagram, scoured art blogs, subscribed to every newsletter I could find, and forced myself to make small talk with strangers at art openings. I went to art talks, art shows, art museums, and art galleries (which is a fancier way of saying art stores). I hit up every remote acquaintance vaguely connected with art to catch up over coffee, then pelted them with questions. But all over town, the art refused to speak to me. It sat there, smug and withholding, whispering an inside joke to everyone but me.

You might also like this one. Lots of fun to read-

The Madman's Gallery by Edward Brooke-Hitching

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...